Suggested Enhancement: Option: Generate Patch

[DavidHaslam]

WinMerge has a Tools option to Generate Patch.

The output file is in standard diff format that can be used as a [software] patch.

It would be a useful enhancement for the Compare plugin to be able to do likewise.

[pnedev]

Great idea, I'll consider implementing it sometime in the future but I can't promise anything as I'm not sure I'll have the time.

[DavidHaslam]

The requested feature should not depend upon either Git or SVN data being present.
cf. Neither are needed by the WinMerge tool.

[b-morgan]

I'll add my vote for this feature.

[byzod]

Here's another vote :D

[BdR76]

And here's another vote 👍

I kind of assumed this functionality was already available, because of the SVN Diff and GIT Diff menu items. But I've tried them now and I don't know what they are supposed to do, it just gives a dialog "No Git data found". 🤔 The Help.md also doesn't mention it.

[pnedev]

@BdR76 ,

Git/SVN compares are used to compare a changed file that is part of a Git/SVN repository against its copy in the version control repo.

The counter for patch generation functionality request is incremented :)

[RafalKisiel]

Hi,
may I vote for enchancement scope increase? I would see an result export option with boolean operation to choose (/, and, or, xor). I have now a case in which I need to get a intersected part of files.

[pnedev]

@RafalKisiel ,
I didn't get your suggestion, sorry.
Could you elaborate?

BR

[RafalKisiel]

The base functionality of patch generation (as I understand it) is to export / create new file containig only resulting differences - in boolean operation on collections it is substraction one of this form: A (not) B, B (not)A or A xor B.
There is another boolean operation that could be performed on text files. When you want to get common part of two texts - intersection - this is my case.
My request is to give option to specify what result user want to export.

Is it more clear now?

[pnedev]

@RafalKisiel ,
Yes, definitely.
Thank you.
BR

[b-morgan]

This enhancement request was originally for diff / patch compatible output. I would like to see @RafalKisiel's enhanced scope in its own issue because I'm afraid it would overly complicate the original request.

On the other hand, this issue was opened 6 years ago so it's not like progress is being made.

[BdR76]

I agree with @b-morgan although I do think an export feature, like described in the original request, is still useful.

It's not clear to me what @RafalKisiel 's actual use-case is for this, i.e. to have ability to export the text differences in every and/or combination.

I suspect it might be an edge-case practical application, that would also be feasible by just manipulating the "normal" git diff file.

[pnedev]

I'll keep the optional request here as it complements the initial one (those will not necessarily be implemented together).
Thank you for the suggestions guys. 👍